Canada
Great Canadian Gaming Announces Third Quarter 2020 Results
Great Canadian Gaming Corporation announced its financial results for the three month period ended September 30, 2020 .
THIRD QUARTER 2020 UPDATES
On November 10, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds (the “Apollo Funds”) managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”). Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo Funds will acquire all the outstanding common shares of the Company for $39.00 per share.
Since the closures on March 16, 2020 in an effort to contribute to the containment of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic (“the Pandemic”), the Company has reopened its gaming properties under restricted operating conditions in Ontario and New Brunswick on September 28, 2020 and in Nova Scotia on October 5, 2020. Due to localized health authority mandates, Casino Woodbine and Casino New Brunswick were temporarily closed again on October 9, 2020, with Casino New Brunswick reopened again on October 23, 2020.
Shareholders’ net loss from continuing operations of $36.5 million or $0.66 per common share in the third quarter, compared to shareholders’ net earnings from continuing operations of $49.7 million or $0.85 per common share in the same period in the prior year.
“We are pleased that the transaction with Apollo represents a great opportunity for our shareholders, while continuing to support the success of the business longer term. We believe this transaction is beneficial for our shareholders, our team members, our guests, and other stakeholders as we continue to execute on our operational and development plans into 2021 and beyond, while we navigate through this volatile time,” stated Rod Baker, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.
“We were able to safely reopen our gaming properties under restricted operating conditions in Ontario and in the Atlantic region, allowing us to initially bring back to work a small complement of team members in these provinces. We have worked diligently these past several months on comprehensive reopening plans that adhere to provincial guidelines on health and safety. We will continue to follow the direction of provincial governments and local health authorities, which continues to be rapidly fluctuating and will require the Company to adjust the operating environment in the future as conditions evolve, and may include temporary resuspensions like those we experienced with some of our properties,” continued Mr. Baker. “Although we have partially reopened our gaming properties, gaming revenues in each jurisdiction are significantly reduced due to the restricted operating conditions.”
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The temporary suspension of all of the Company’s gaming facilities for almost the entire third quarter resulted in decreases in revenues, expenses, Adjusted EBITDA1, shareholders’ net earnings (loss), Free Cash Flow1, and total cash flows, when compared to the same period in the prior year.
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1 Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-IFRS measures, as described in the disclaimer section of this press release, and excludes discontinued operations
The Company incurred negative Free Cash Flow during the temporary suspension period. During the third quarter, the Company had negative Free Cash Flow of $54.8 million, which was primarily due to $62.2 million in capital expenditures related to our capital developments in Ontario. Negative Free Cash Flow for the third quarter of 2020 was an improvement from negative Free Cash Flow of $123.4 in the second quarter of 2020, which included capital expenditures of $98.6 million. This negative Free Cash Flow was funded with borrowings from the Company’s credit facilities, and the remaining from available cash balances.
The Company had cash outflow of $26.3 million for the third quarter, which was lower than the cash outflow of $97.8 million in the same period in 2019, due to reduced cash outflows from financing and investing activities. The Company repurchased $8.0 million of common shares under the normal course issuer bid in the third quarter of 2020, compared to $71.9 million of repurchases in the same period in the prior year.
OUTLOOK
“Despite the impact that the Pandemic has had on our construction projects, we are moving forward with our GTA capital development programs, primarily our Pickering Casino Resort and Casino Woodbine integrated resort developments, which will be primarily funded by our capital expenditures credit facility. We continue to assess the timing for the launch of these developments; however, we do not anticipate any impact to our total planned capital spend. As we continue to incur the expenditures related to these development programs, we are encouraged by the partial reopening of our gaming facilities which will assist us in improving our cash flow profile for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, subject to our gaming properties remaining open.”
“Great Canadian remains proactive in maintaining its capital structure while minimizing cash outflows and taking measures to reduce operating expenses as appropriate. As at September 30, 2020, Great Canadian continues to remain in stable capital and liquidity position with a cash balance of $471.9 million and $1,062.5 million of available undrawn credit on its credit facilities, subject to applicable covenants. The Company has entered into agreements with its lenders to temporarily waive compliance with its financial and operational covenants under certain of its credit facilities. As at September 30, 2020, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants and we are currently in preliminary discussions to extend our waiver period with our banking partners, who continue to provide ongoing support to our business,” concluded Mr. Baker.
SOURCE Great Canadian Gaming Corporation
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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